{"id":103,"date":"2026-07-14T09:14:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T09:14:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mealtips.delicedcook.com\/?p=103"},"modified":"2026-07-14T09:14:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T09:14:28","slug":"angelina-jolies-kids-zahara-and-maddox-take-a-major-step-to-distance-themselves-from-their-dad-details","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mealtips.delicedcook.com\/?p=103","title":{"rendered":"Angelina Jolie’s Kids Zahara and Maddox Take a Major Step to Distance Themselves from Their Dad \u2014 Details"},"content":{"rendered":"

The siblings’ latest move made their plans public, clearing the way for judges to consider whether their requested name changes should become official.<\/p>\n

Zahara and Maddox, two of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s six children, have completed a key requirement in their petitions to remove “Pitt” from their names legally.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Before<\/picture><\/div>\n

Before years of legal proceedings reshaped the family, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt frequently appeared together at public events like this one. Today, two of their children are seeking to legally remove “Pitt” from their names. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

According to court documents obtained by People, both siblings have published the legal notices required under California law before a judge can consider their requests.<\/p>\n

The notices state that Zahara, 21, is seeking the legal name Zahara Marley Jolie<\/strong>, while Maddox, 24, is requesting Maddox Chivan Jolie<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In California, filing a petition is only the first step in a legal name change. Petitioners must also publish notice of their request in a qualifying newspaper, making the proposed change part of the public record before the case can proceed.<\/p>\n

According to the , Maddox’s notice appeared in the Los Angeles Daily Journal on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, while Zahara’s was published on Thursday, July 9.<\/p>\n

Once proof of publication is filed with the court, the petitions can move forward to a hearing.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Maddox<\/picture><\/div>\n

Maddox and Zahara were still young children when this photo was taken with Brad Pitt in 2007. Nearly two decades later, both have completed the legal publication requirement needed before a judge can decide whether to approve their requested name changes. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Neither name change has been approved yet. The next step is for a judge to review each petition during separate court hearings. Maddox’s hearing is scheduled for September 14<\/strong>, while Zahara’s is set for September 28<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Both Maddox and Zahara were before Brad later adopted them as well.<\/p>\n

Maddox was born in Battambang, Cambodia, and was adopted by Jolie in 2002 after she visited an orphanage while in the country. Zahara was born in Hawassa, Ethiopia, and was adopted by Jolie in 2005 when she was about seven months old.<\/p>\n

\n
\"This<\/picture><\/div>\n

This is one of the more recent public photos of Zahara and Maddox with their mother. Since then, both siblings have filed petitions to legally change their names and are now waiting for separate court hearings. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

While the publication notices mark the latest development, they are not the first sign that the siblings were seeking to legally remove “Pitt” from their names.<\/p>\n

Earlier reports revealed that Maddox had already begun the process months before<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The reported that Maddox filed the request on May 27, listing the reason simply as “Personal.” But the filing was not the first indication that he planned to drop the surname.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Maddox,<\/picture><\/div>\n

Maddox, Angelina Jolie, and Brad Pitt at the Governor Awards in Hollywood, California on November 16, 2013. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Maddox had already informally dropped the surname in February<\/strong>, when he was listed in the end credits of Angelina’s movie “Couture” as Maddox Jolie.<\/p>\n

Zahara, who recently graduated from Spelman College, had also used her mom’s surname publicly before filing her own legal petition.<\/p>\n

In its , the graduate was called to the stage as “Zahara Marley Jolie”<\/strong> \u2014 notably,<\/i> with no hyphenated “Pitt” at the end. <\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Zahara<\/picture><\/div>\n

Zahara Marley Jolie shaking hands with people as her name was called during the Spelman College’s 2026 Commencement Ceremony, posted on May 17, 2026. | Source: YouTube\/Spelman College<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In the graduation footage, Zahara can be seen walking across the stage in her black cap and gown, with a pale stole draped over her shoulders. She appears poised and happy as she accepts her achievement, shaking hands with top alumnae and professionals.<\/p>\n

The scene was formal, but still warm. Zahara’s smile, her confident walk, and the applause around her made it clear that this was a proud day<\/strong> first and foremost.<\/p>\n

More showed Zahara beaming in her graduation attire. In one image, she turns back with a bright smile, holding her diploma cover as the Spelman emblem stands behind her.<\/p>\n

The graduation was not the first time Zahara publicly used Angelina’s surname.<\/p>\n

When Zahara joined the Mu Pi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority in November 2023, she introduced herself using only her mother’s surname during her new member presentation.<\/p>\n

“My name is Zahara Marley Jolie. And [I] landed all the way from the Golden State in the city full of angels: Los Angeles, California,” she at the time.<\/p>\n

Zahara’s commencement was not the only graduation to spark discussion about the Jolie-Pitt family’s surnames. As reported by Page Six, her younger brother Knox used the name “Knox Jolie”<\/strong> on his high school diploma after graduating from Fusion Academy in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

According to the outlet, the teenager, who turns 18 on July 12, celebrated the milestone alongside Angelina and his siblings Pax, Zahara, and his twin sister, Vivienne.<\/p>\n

also shared differing accounts from unnamed sources about the family’s situation.<\/p>\n

\n
\"This<\/picture><\/div>\n

This is one of Knox’s recent public appearances before reports about his high school diploma drew attention to his surname. He reportedly used “Knox Jolie” on the certificate instead of his full hyphenated last name. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

One source alleged that Angelina viewed the recent developments positively, saying she “seems quite pleased with herself about the total success of her long-standing, intense, deliberate effort to alienate her children from their father.”<\/p>\n

The same source added, “It’s so sad for the entire family that she would use the same weapon of the name change over and over for any other purpose other than to hurt their father. This was her goal and she succeeded.”<\/p>\n

Another source offered a different perspective, pointing to the family’s past efforts to address their relationships.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Knox<\/picture><\/div>\n

Knox appeared with Angelina Jolie at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles. Months later, reports said he used “Knox Jolie” on his high school diploma, adding to the family’s ongoing name-change story. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

“Angelina participated in years of family therapy with Brad and the children for everyone to try to heal after the events that led her to file for divorce,” the source said.<\/p>\n

The insider continued, “The children are now adults and make their own decisions, which deserve respect. If they choose to distance themselves from him, it comes from that pain and harm.”<\/p>\n

While several of the siblings have reportedly moved away from using the Pitt surname, the same reported that Pax’s situation appears to be different.<\/p>\n

A source told the outlet, “Pax still has a relationship with his dad’s side of the family and continues to spend time with them.” The insider added that he recently joined relatives for a dinner celebrating his cousin<\/p>\n

At the same time, the source said Pax’s relationship with his father remains limited. “He doesn’t have much of a relationship with Brad,” the insider added.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Pax<\/picture><\/div>\n

Pax has reportedly maintained ties with Brad Pitt’s extended family, even as several of his siblings have taken different paths. A source said he still spends time with his father’s relatives despite having little contact with Brad himself. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Although Pax has reportedly maintained ties with his father’s extended family, several of his siblings have taken different paths in recent years. The first to formally change her last name was Shiloh<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In May 2024, Shiloh, formerly , filed paperwork requesting a legal name change, asking to drop her dad’s surname and become simply Shiloh Jolie, <\/strong><\/p>\n

The timing made the move even more striking. Shiloh had just turned 18 on May 27, and the filing was reportedly made on her birthday. In other words, one of her first known acts as an adult<\/strong> was tied to changing her name. That detail did not go unnoticed.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Shiloh<\/picture><\/div>\n

Shiloh Jolie is seen out and about in Studio City, California on March 18, 2025. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

TMZ described the filing as “incredibly telling,” pointing to the widely reported strain between Brad and some of his children since he and Angelina filed for divorce in 2016. But Shiloh was not the only former Jolie-Pitt child whose name raised eyebrows around that time.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Shiloh<\/picture><\/div>\n

Shiloh Jolie attends the Los Angeles premiere of MSNBC Films’ “Paper & Glue: A JR Project” at Museum Of Tolerance in Los Angeles, California on November 18, 2021. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

That same month in 2024, Vivienne stepped into the conversation in a quieter, but still very noticeable, way. In the Playbill for the musical “The Outsiders,” which she helped Angelina produce, Vivienne was listed as “Vivienne Jolie”<\/strong> rather than “Vivienne Jolie-Pitt,”<\/p>\n

Unlike Shiloh’s filing, People noted that it was not immediately clear whether Vivienne had legally changed her name. Still, the listing was enough to catch public attention.<\/p>\n

After all, when a famous surname vanishes from a public credit, people are bound to notice, especially when that surname is Pitt.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Vivienne<\/picture><\/div>\n

Vivienne Jolie at the Opening Night Gala Performance of the musical based on the film “Heathers The Musical” in New York City on June 30, 2025. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

People<\/i> also reported that representatives for both Angelina and Brad could not be reached for comment at the time. However, the outlet did include previous insight from a Pitt source, who said in August 2022 that Brad had been hoping to reach a better place with his children<\/strong> amid the former couple’s custody battle.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Vivienne<\/picture><\/div>\n

Vivienne and Angelina Jolie at the 77th Annual Tony Awards in New York City on June 16, 2024. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The insider described the situation as sad and difficult, saying Brad had been focused on having the best relationship possible with his kids. They also claimed there had been long gaps where he did not see the children at all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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